Method and apparatus  for analysis of turbid media via single-element  detection using structured  illumination

ABSTRACT

Method and apparatus for obtaining qualitative and quantitative analysis of the optical properties or structures of tissue or turbid medium at one or more wavelengths via 1) detection at a single spatial location on the surface of a turbid medium (such as tissue) under two or more structured light conditions or 2) detection at two or more spatial locations on the surface under a single structured light condition.

CROSS-REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Divisional of application Ser. No. 12/950,805,filed Nov. 19, 2010.

FIELD

The embodiments described herein relate generally to optical measurementof turbid media and in particular to optical measurement of tissueabsorption and scattering parameters via a single-element detector usingone or more structured illuminations.

BACKGROUND

There has been considerable research in the use of near-infrared opticalspectroscopy (NIRS) as a means for real-time in-vivo measurements oftissue optical properties which contain information on tissue structureand function. In the 600-1000 nm spectral region in particular, tissueis scattering dominated and the strongest molecular absorbers in tissueare oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin, water, and lipids. Thehighly diffusive photons probe a large sample volume, providingmacroscopically averaged absorption and scattering properties at depthsup to a few centimeters.

The amount of light reflected or transmitted from tissues is due to acomplex combination of absorption, scattering and (typically very weak)fluorescence. In order to measure any of these optical properties of agiven sample, one has to first separate/isolate the absorption effectsfrom scattering effects. Possession of this capability is enabling for awide range of medical (diagnostic, therapeutic monitoring, cosmetic) andnon-medical applications (material inspection, visualization,photo-realistic rendering, agricultural inspection, chemical slurry andpowder analysis).

NIR techniques (though actually not limited to the NIR spectral range)combine experimental measurements and model-based data analysis toquantitatively measure the bulk absorption (μa) and scattering (μs′)properties of the tissue. Once μa and μs′ are known at a variety ofwavelengths, the concentration of the various molecular absorbers can bedetermined.

Several techniques have been developed over the last decade to measuretissue properties in vivo, and they can be broadly grouped into twocategories: (1) photon migration techniques and (2) optical biopsytechniques. Most instruments of these types rely on a fiber opticcontact probe measurement so that the source-detection geometry is welldefined. The geometry allows for the quantitative measurement ofabsorption and scattering properties of the tissue, but it is limited toa single, small area. Photon migration instruments usually usesource-detector separations of a few centimeters, resulting in spatialresolutions on the order of one centimeter, such that μa and μ_(5′) canbe determined for thick tissue, such as breast, brain and muscle.Optical biopsy techniques usually use source-detector distances on theorder of 100's of microns, thus they interrogate a smaller spatial scalethat is typically on the order of one millimeter.

For many medical diagnostic applications, there is need for techniquesthat combine some of the physiological information that photon migrationand optical biopsy provide, but have a wide field, non-contact imagingcapability. Multispectral imaging systems that use a camera with atunable spectral light source (or spectral detection filters) have beenused in this capacity. There is a fundamental issue, however, on theinability of camera systems to distinguish between light that isabsorbed by the tissue and light that is scattered. Imaging systems thatuse full-field illumination (i.e. flash photography) cannotdifferentiate between the two effects and assumptions are made in orderto provide “quantitative” biochemical analysis. In practice, thisdeficiency results in qualitative analysis that depicts relativeconcentration changes within an image.

A more detailed discussion of these techniques is provided in Cuccia.Modulated Imaging: A Spatial Frequency Domain Imaging Method forWide-field Spectroscopy and Tomography of Turbid Media, Ph.D.Dissertation, University of California, Irvine, Dept. of BiomedicalEngineering(“Cuccia, Modulated Imaging”); and Cuccia, et al.,Quantitation and mapping of tissue optical properties using modulatedimaging, J Biomed Opt 14(2), 024012 (2009) (“Cuccia, Quantitation andmapping”).

Due to the deficiencies of prior techniques, a technique and technologyplatform, referred to as “Modulated Imaging” (MI), was developed. Thekey aspect of this type of imaging is that the absorption and scatteringcomponents are separated and used to evaluate tissue structure andcalculate quantitative biochemical maps. The MI method uses structuredlight projection and camera-based detection in order to obtainquantitative measurements of:

1. sub-surface tissue optical properties, including:

-   -   a. tissue absorption due to:        -   i. endogenous chromophores such as oxy- and            deoxy-hemoglobin, water, lipids, melanin, bilirubin,            porphyrins, etc. and        -   ii. exogenous dyes such as indocyanine green, methylene            blue, synthetic agents, etc.    -   b. tissue fluorescence/phosphorescence due to subsequent        remission of light after absorption from a molecule above    -   c. tissue scattering, (microscopic refraction) including both        scattering magnitude and direction, due to:        -   i. cellular structures such as nuclei, mitochondria, cell            membranes,        -   ii. extracellular structures, such as collagen        -   iii. exogenous agents

2. surface profile information (profilometry)

A detailed description of the MI method including spatial frequencydomain imaging (SFOI) measurement, calibration, and analysis has beenpreviously reported in Cuccia, Quantitation and mapping, and U.S. Pat.No. 6,958,815, which are incorporated herein by reference.

From an apparatus perspective, an innovative aspect of MI/SFDI is itscombination of a camera and a structured light projection system thatallows one to reconstruct quantitative maps in 20 or 30 of tissueoptical properties. Structured light illumination, also commonlyreferred to as spatially structured illumination, includes, among other,such illumination as sinusoidal illumination and periodic illumination.Generally, the structured illumination patterns give multiple “views”into the tissue and reveal the contrast between various structures andoptical properties that would otherwise be obscured or mixed together.The system is typically non-contact, allowing for easy use inapplications including surgical guidance where the tissue of interestcan be interrogated without contamination.

From a method perspective, the camera images can be analyzed in avariety of ways to extract this quantitative information. The mostcommon embodiment is “spatial frequency domain” analysis, involvingeither 1) processing a single Fourier-transform of the images, or 2) bydirectly manipulating a series of images under multiple structuredillumination conditions—typically a spatial sine wave at various spatialphases. A strong benefit to methods that use approach 2) above is thatthey lend themselves more readily toward recovering high-resolution maps(in 2D or 3D) of the recovered properties, thus allowing forspatially-resolving structures and/or determining the depth of variousstructures/layers/etc.

Another innovation aspect of MI is the combination of simultaneousprofile measurements along with tissue optical property determination.Profilometry is commonplace in areas such as machine vision and cosmeticdermatology.

As stated above, MI has the unique capability of spatially resolvingoptical absorption and scattering parameters, allowing wide-fieldquantitative mapping of tissue optical properties with the use ofspatially-modulated illumination. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of alaboratory-grade system 10. Light from a halogen lamp 11 is expanded bya condenser 12 onto a spatial light modulator (SLM) 15. The currentsystem uses a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) from Texas Instrumentswhich is a 1024×768 mirror array that can generate and project arbitrarygrayscale patterns. Such patterns are directed through a projector lens16 and reflected off a mirror 17 to the surface of the tissue T and thediffusely reflected light is then recorded by a digital CCD camera 19.In the laboratory instrument, a filter wheel 13 was used to interrogatea discrete number of wavelengths. Instead of a filter wheel, a tunablefilter or tunable spectral source can be used to interrogate a discretenumber of wavelengths. Crossed linear polarizers 14 and 18 can beintroduced into the source and detection light paths to remove specularreflectance. The SLM 15, camera 19 and spectral device are synchronizedwith a computer and/or trigger board, enabling fast acquisition of aseries of patterns at various spatial frequencies. A turbid reflectancestandard (such as a Ti02-based silicone phantom) can be used tocalibrate the source intensity and to correct for spatialnon-uniformities in both the illumination and imaging systems.

Periodic illumination patterns of various spatial frequencies areprojected over a large (many cm²) area of a sample. Typically, sine-waveillumination patterns are used. The reflected image captured by thecamera differs from the illumination patterns due to the opticalproperty characteristics of the sample. The demodulation of thesespatially-modulated waves characterizes the sample modulation transferfunction (MTF), which embodies the optical property information of thetissue.

For example, the tissue can be illuminated with a spatial pattern of theform:

$\begin{matrix}{S = {\underset{2}{So}\left\lbrack {1 + {M_{0}{\cos \left( {{2{rrfx}} + a} \right)}}} \right\rbrack}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

where S₀, M₀, f_(x) and a are the illumination source intensity,modulation depth, spatial frequency, and spatial phase, respectively.The diffusely reflected intensity, I, is a sum of the spatially-varying(AC) and spatially-constant (DC) components of the illumination signal.These AC and DC spatial components do not relate to other uses of theterms AC and DC, such as the AC and DC components of electrical signals,or the AC and DC temporal components, for example those delineated inSevick-Muraca U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,754. The underlying physics, detectionschemes, analysis methods and mathematical models aimed atcharacterizing these AC and DC spatial components are all distinct fromother uses of these terms.

The top row of images, shown in FIG. 2, show the images obtained forillumination patterns at four spatial frequencies (with only 1 phase ofeach frequency shown). The AC component of the reflected intensity, /Ac,can be modeled as:

I _(AC) =M _(AC)(x,f _(x))·cos(2πf _(x)+α)

Here, MAc(xJx) represents the amplitude of the reflected photon density“standing wave” at frequency fx. Note that MAc can be a function ofposition, x. To obtain MAc(xJx), a simple time domain amplitudedemodulation method is employed, illuminating a sinusoid pattern threetimes at the same spatial frequency, with phase offsets a=0, 2/3 n and4/3 n radians. MAc(xJx) can then be calculated algebraically at eachspatial location, xi, by:

M _(AC)(x,f _(x))=[(I ₁ −I ₂)²+(I ₂ −I ₃)+(I ₃ −I ₁)]^(1/2)  (3)

The spatially-varying DC amplitude, Moc(x), can be calculated using:

Moc(X,ft)=[/1+!2+/3}/3  (4)

where 11, 12, and /3 represent the /Ac image values at each locationwith shifted spatial phases.

Finally, measurement of a reference turbid phantom of known opticalproperties allows model-based calibration for the source intensity, S₀,and therefore conversion of MAc and Moc to calibrated diffusereflectance, RAc and Roe, respectively. Once the AC and DC components ofthe reflectivity are determined, a “White Monte Carlo” (WMC) method isused to provide accurate and rapid models of predicting light transportover a wide range of reflectivities. At each wavelength, thespatial-frequency-dependent diffuse reflectance is fitted to WMC forwardpredictions for every pixel in the image and obtain the pa and μs′optical properties, as shown at the bottom of FIG. 2. This can beperformed with a rapid two-frequency lookup table using a minimal3-phase, single frequency image set (by demodulating and averaging theimages to obtain AC and DC amplitude maps, respectively). This simplealgorithm can easily be implemented for real-time processing and/orimplementation on camera FPGA hardware. Alternatively, this analysiscould be performed via other predictive, statistical, or heuristicmodels.

By mapping the absorption coefficient at multiple wavelengths,quantitative spectroscopy of tissue can optionally be performed. Theresult is a 3D data cube with an absorption spectrum at each spatiallocation. Knowledge of the extinction coefficients of the tissuechromophores (e.g. oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin, lipids, water, etc) allowsthese spectra to be fitted to a linear Beer-Lambert absorption model anddetermine the quantitative concentrations of each chromophore.

Any of the aforementioned point detection systems, measurements, andanalyses could be further spatially multiplexed to yield 1D, 2D, or 3Dspatial representations of the turbid medium optical properties and/orstructures. From a hardware standpoint, this would include multiplecopies of a previously described detector setup, or an optical relay orscanning system to relay detector information from various locations onthe sample.

As described above, the generally regarded innovative aspect of MI isthe combination of a camera (2D light sensor) and a structuredillumination system (2D projector) to enable the measurement and 2D/3Dmapping of optical properties and tissue structures. Although thissystem can be constructed with consumer-grade electronics, itnevertheless requires a certain level of cost and complexity due to thepresence of a 2D sensor. For example, when the method is extended forspectroscopy (measurement of multiple wavelengths), it adds significantsystem complexity and/or measurement time constraints, requiring eitherserial single-wavelength measurements or bulky and expensivemulti-spectral imaging systems. In addition, althoughcombination/integration with measurement methods that usetime-modulation of light is also theoretically possible (in addition tospatial structuring or spatial modulation of light), this has never beenfeasible or desirable as it requires expensive, bulky, and low-fidelitytime gating systems for cameras.

Thus, it is desirable to provide a less costly and complex system toanalyze the optical properties and structures of turbid media.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The details of the example embodiments, including structure andoperation, may be gleaned in part by study of the accompanying figures,in which like reference numerals refer to like parts. The components inthe figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placedupon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, allillustrations are intended to convey concepts, where relative sizes,shapes and other detailed attributes may be illustrated schematicallyrather than literally or precisely.

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a conventional modulated imaging system.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of the data analysis flow of the modulatedimaging technique.

FIG. 3( a) is a schematic of a single-element detector andintensity-modulated source in space.

FIG. 3( b) is a schematic of a single-element detector andintensity-modulated source in wavelength.

FIG. 3( c) is a schematic of single-element detection at two locationsunder one spatially-structured condition.

FIG. 3( d) is a schematic of single-element detection under twospectrally-diverse single-element detectors under a singlespectrally-structured illumination condition.

FIGS. 4( a)-4(d) are illumination and reflectance graphs of asingle-element detection method utilizing two illuminations and onedetector.

FIGS. 5( a)-5(b) are illumination and reflectance graphs of asingle-element detection method utilizing one illumination and twodetectors.

FIGS. 6( a)-6(b) are graphs of bulk absorption (μa) and scattering (μs′)as a function of the AC and DC reflectance components.

FIGS. 7( a)-7(b) are illumination and reflectance graphs of asingle-element detection method utilizing one illumination and twodetectors.

FIGS. 8( a)-8(d) are illumination and reflectance graphs of asingle-element detection method utilizing two illuminations and onedetector.

FIG. 9 is a schematic of a structured illumination system with a singleelement detector.

FIGS. 10( a)-10(d) are plots showing (a) an example of raw demodulatedspectra, MAc(A-,fx), collected from a tissue simulating liquid phantomcontaining nigrosin, intralipid and water; (b) reflectance calibrated bythe reference phantom measurement; (c) the diffuse “MTF,” shown at 680nm in this example, and (d) the resultant absorption and reducedscattering spectra.

FIGS. 11( a)-11(d) are plots showing optical properties of high and lowalbedo phantoms including (a) measured and expected absorption spectra,(b) accuracy between expected and measured absorption values, (c)measured and expected reduced scattering spectra, and (d) accuracybetween expected and measured reduced scattering.

FIG. 12 is a plot showing measured absorption spectrum from the volarforearm and a subplot displaying the corresponding reduced scatteringspectrum for this particular measurement.

It should be noted that elements of similar structures or functions aregenerally represented by like reference numerals for illustrativepurpose throughout the figures. It should also be noted that the figuresare only intended to facilitate the description of the preferredembodiments.

DESCRIPTION

The various embodiments and examples provided herein are generallydirected to a method and apparatus for obtaining qualitative andquantitative analysis of the optical properties or structures of tissueor turbid medium via detection via a single-element detector at a singlespatial location or defined collection area on the surface of a turbidmedium (such as tissue) under two or more structured light conditions orilluminations. The single spatial location or defined collection area isa localized spot or region and is preferably sized or dimensioned on theorder of a feature of the illumination function. The signal detected onthe single-element detector comprises a combination of the signals fromall points within the single spatial location or defined collectionarea, wherein the single spatial location or defined collection areacomprises one or more points.

Alternatively, detection is accomplished via a single-element detectorat two or more spatial locations or defined collection areas on thesurface of tissue or other turbid medium under a single structured lightcondition or illumination. Instead of focusing on a single spatiallocation or defined collection area that is subject to two or morestructured light conditions or illuminations, two or more single-elementdetectors focus on two or more spatially diverse locations or definedcollection areas allowing for the detection of differing structuredlight conditions or illuminations without modifying the source ofstructured light or illumination.

In the single-element detection methods noted above, detection can beimplemented a) with a single-element detector/sensor in contact with thesurface of the tissue or other turbid medium orb) otherwise delivered toa single-element detector via a fiber optic or lens relay system. Thestructured illumination can be implemented in contact form (via an LCD,LED array, or filtered backlight, for example) or non-contact form (viaa slide projector, DMD/OLP, LCOS, or coherent interference, forexample). In a preferred embodiment the structured illumination isspatially structured, but could alternatively be spectrally structured(changing the wavelength-dependent source intensity) to reveal opticalproperties and structures. Diagrams of these modes of operation aregiven in FIGS. 3A-3D.

Turning to FIG. 3A, a method and apparatus 100 is depicted for singleelement detection using multiple spatially structured illuminations. Atstep (101), multiple structured light patterns are generated by aspatial light modulator (SLM) 110. Next, at step (103) spatiallystructured light conditions are projected through a projection lens, ageneralized relay, or a contact illumination system 112 onto the surfaceof the target medium T comprising tissue or other turbid medium toilluminate the target medium T with multiple spatially-structured lightconditions. At step (105), light remitted, i.e., diffusely reflected ortransmitted, from a single spatial location on the surface of the targetmedium Tis coupled to a single-element detector 116 through a detectorlens, a generalized relay, or a contact detection system 114.

Instead of using multiple spatially-structured light patterns, FIG. 3Cdepicts a method and apparatus 100′ for single element detection using asingle spatially structured illumination and one or more single elementdetectors. At step (101′), a single structured light pattern isgenerated by a spatial light modulator (SLM) 110. Next, at step (103′) aspatially-structured light condition is projected through a projectionlens, a generalized relay, or a contact illumination system 112 onto thesurface of the target medium T to illuminate the target medium T with asingle spatially-structured light condition. At step (107), lightremitted from two or more spatially diverse locations on the surface ofthe target medium Tis coupled through a detector lens, a generalizedrelay, or a contact detection system 114 to two or more spatiallydiverse single-element detectors 115 and 116, or to one single-elementdetector 116 that is moveable or able to be oriented in two or moreconfigurations or spatially diverse locations to detect the lightremitted from the two or more spatially diverse locations on the surfaceof the target medium T.

Alternatively, FIG. 38 depicts a method and apparatus 102 for singleelement detection using multiple spectrally-structured illuminations. Atstep (104), multiple spectrally-structured light conditions generated bya variable multi-spectral light source 111 are projected through anillumination lens, a generalized relay, or a contact illumination system112 onto the surface of the target medium T to illuminate the targetmedium T with multiple spectrally-structured light conditions. At step(105), light remitted from the surface of the target medium Tis coupledto a single-element detector 116 through a detector lens, a generalizedrelay, or a contact detection system 114.

Instead of using multiple spectrally-structured light patterns, FIG. 30depicts a method and apparatus 102′ for single element detection using asingle spectrally-structured illumination and two or more single elementdetectors. At step (104′), a single spectrally structured lightcondition generated by a variable multi-spectral light source 111 isprojected through an illumination lens, a generalized relay, or acontact illumination system 112 onto the surface of the target medium Tto illuminate the target medium T with a single spectrally-structuredlight condition. At step (108), two or more spectrally diverse lightsignals remitted from the surface of the target medium Tare coupledthrough a detector lens, a generalized relay, or a contact detectionsystem 114 and beam splitter, spectrometer, or other spectral selectiondevice 117 to two or more spectrally diverse single-element detectors118 and 119.

Turning to FIGS. 4( a)-4(d), a single-element detection method isdepicted using one detector and two structured illuminations. Asdepicted in FIG. 4( a), the first illumination, IAe+oe, comprises asinusoidal waveform, IAe, with a constant offset, Ioe. The secondillumination, loe, shown in FIG. 4( b), comprises an illumination havinga spatially constant intensity equivalent to the constant offset, Ioe,of the first illumination, IAe+oe. The magnitude of the remitted lightcorresponding to the first illumination, IAe+oe, and detected by asingle-element detector at point _(x(1) l on the surface of theilluminated tissue or other turbid medium is depicted as RAe+oe in FIG.4( c). The magnitude of the remitted light corresponding to the secondillumination, loe, and detected by a single-element detector at pointx(1 l on the surface of the illuminated tissue or other turbid medium isdepicted for the as Roe in FIG. 4( d). Although shown as a point, i.e.,x(1), the single spatial region from which signals are collected cannotin practice be an infinitesimally small point location but rather is alocalized spot or region. The magnitude of the reflected light detectedby the single-element detector resulting from only the AC component ofthe first structured illumination is determinable from: RAe=RAe+oe−Roe.

Alternatively, FIGS. 5( a)-5(b) depicts a single-element detectionmethod using two spatially diverse detectors and one structuredillumination. As depicted in FIG. 5( a), the structured illumination,IAe+oe, comprises a sinusoidal waveform, IAe, with a constant offset,loe. The magnitude of the remitted light corresponding to the AC and DCcomponents of the structured illumination that is detected by first andsecond single-element detectors at a first location x(1 l and a secondlocation x(2 l on the surface of the illuminated tissue or other turbidmedium, as depicted in FIG. 5( b), is determinable from:Roe=(R×(1)+R×(2J)/2; RAe=(R×(1)−R×(2J)/2. The magnitude of remittedlight corresponding to the AC and DC components of the structuredillumination that is detected by first and second single-elementdetectors at a third location x(3 l and a fourth location x(4 l on thesurface of the illuminated tissue or other turbid medium, isdeterminable from: Roe=R×(4); RAe=R×(3)−R×(4).

As shown in FIGS. 6( a) and 6(b), the values of Roe and RAe can be usedto determine the bulk absorption (μa) and scattering (μs′) properties ofthe tissue or other turbid medium. For example, as depicted in FIG. 6(b), an experimental or model generated look-up table can be used todetermine the bulk absorption (m) and scattering (μs′) properties of thetissue or other turbid medium.

In some embodiments of single-element detection methods, it may beadvantageous to allow the light collected by the single-element detectorto be larger than a single “point” location or localized area so thatinstead of collecting light from a single “point” location, light iscollected from a collection of points simultaneously where the signaldetected on the single-element detector would be a combination of thesignals from all the points included in a de-localized definedcollection area. The defined collection area can be on the order of orlarger than a feature of the illumination function. Measurement ordetection of light collected from such a defined collection area couldbe accomplished simply by defocusing of a detection lens, or otherwiseallowing the detector aperture to collect light from a larger area ofthe sample surface. In the same manner as before, the spatial content ofthe source-detector configuration would be designed to isolate thedesired information content within the tissue or other turbid medium.The data from this approach would be treated in a similar fashion aswith previously described source-detector configurations, includingpost-processing, filtering, calibration, model-based or lookup-tablebased calculations. Finally, this concept of de-localization in spacecan just as easily be applied to localization in wavelength spectrum, asit applies to the previously-described spectral modulation schemes.

Turning to FIGS. 7( a) and (b), a single-element detection methodutilizing a de-localized defined collection area is shown. A singleperiodic function, IAc, in x (such as a sine wave) is illuminated with aconstant offset, loc. For example, the illumination could be in the formI1ota1=cos(k*x)+loc, where x is the lateral spatial dimension and k isthe spatial frequency. The reflectance or transmittance is measured bysingle-element detectors 01 and 02 with two differing area-collectionschemes. For example, the detector 01 could be designed to collectinformation over a half-integer-multiple (0.5, 1.5, 2.5, etc) of theillumination function spatial period and produce a magnitude measurementM₁. The detector 02 could be designed to collect information over aninteger-multiple (1, 2, 3, etc) period of the periodic illumination,producing magnitude measurement M₂. As the measurement M₂ was performedover integer-multiples of the illumination period, the AC componentwould cancel, giving Roe=M₂. However, M₁ contains both AC contrast inaddition to DC information and could be used to calculate the ACreflectance component. If the integer multiple was the same for bothconditions, then M1 and M2 would differ by just a half-period andRAe=IMrM11-

In the alternative, as shown in FIGS. 8( a)-8(d), the tissue or otherturbid medium is illuminated with a periodic function, IAe, in x (suchas a sine wave) with a constant offset, loe. For example, the periodicfunction illumination with constant offset could be in the formI1ota1=cos(k*x)+loe, where x is the lateral spatial dimension and k isthe spatial frequency. The tissue or other turbid medium is alsoilluminated with an illumination having a spatially constant intensity,loe. The reflectance or transmittance is measured by one single-elementdetector 01 with the same area-collection scheme. For example, thedetector 01 could be designed to collect information over ahalf-integer-multiple (0.5, 1.5, 2.5, etc) of the illumination functionspatial period and produce magnitude measurement M₁ for the reflectanceor transmittance corresponding to the periodic function illuminationwith constant offset, I1ota1=cos(k*x)+loe. For the reflectance ortransmittance corresponding to the illumination having a spatiallyconstant intensity, loe, the detector 01 produces a magnitudemeasurement M₂. As measurement M₂ was performed on the remittance due tothe spatially constant illumination, there is no AC component and, thus,gives Roe=M₂. M₁ contains both AC contrast in addition to DC informationand could be used to calculate the AC reflectance component whereRAe=IMrM1I-

In more complex scenarios, detecting light from arbitrarily complex areafunctions designed to reveal the desired sample properties orstructures, such as separately isolating remitted light from the crestsand valleys of a periodic illumination function, producing measurementsM1 and M2. In this case Roe=M1+M2 and RAe=IMrM1I-

In another example, a Bessel function plus some constant offset, loe, isilluminated where the total illumination is I1ota1=Jo(k*x)+loe, where Jois a Bessel function of order zero, x is the spatial (lateral) positionand k is the lateral spatial frequency, and detect (with asingle-element detector) the total light remitting or transmitting frompositions x=O to Xmax. This magnitude measurement is referred to as M1.Separately, one could illuminate with a spatially-constant intensity,loe, only, thus detecting a different magnitude, M2 with the samedetector configuration. These magnitudes M₁ and M₂ alone would besufficient for calculating optical properties and/or locating structures(in a similar fashion as with previously described source-detectororientations), even though they have not isolated a single spatialfeature of the illumination beam (e.g. a crest or peak of the sinewave). For example, if M₁ and M₂ are the magnitudes of the measurementsmade by the first and second illumination conditions, and the maximumradius of detection Xmax was set to a “zero” of the illumination Besselfunction, then a magnitude estimate for DC and AC components of thereflectance, Roe and RAe respectively, would be Roe=M2 and RAe=M1−M2. Ithas been previously shown how a minimum measurement Roe and RAe aresufficient for calculating optical properties, such as the absorptionand reduced scattering coefficients, μa and μs′, respectively.

The advantage of the single element detection methods described hereinis primarily in the single element detector aspect of the apparatus. Theinstrument measurement, calibration, and analysis methods can optionallybe practiced as described above with regard to the MI method and furtherexpanded upon in Cuccia, Modulated Imaging, Cuccia, Quantitation andmapping, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,958,815, which are incorporated herein byreference, except that 1) the detector is a (a) single-element sensor orother optical detector, or (b) the entrance pupil for an optical relaydevice (such as the face of an optical fiber, for example), or (c) otherpoint or localized area detection system, and 2) there is no spatialdependence to the detected signal

the ‘x’ parameter) as there is only one “signal” detected per remittedstructured light pattern. As a result, non-local information fromspatially structured light waves, extending in the x-y plane, can bedetected from measurement at a single spatial location. This capabilityderives from the phenomenon that the shape and magnitude of thereflected light wave at a single spatial location is a cumulative resultof optical property-dependent multiple scattering within a volume thatis typically larger than the single spatial point detection. Thereforethe internal scattering tends to cause non-local or “global” effects onthe structured light wave, typically resulting in a blurring or loss ofcontrast in the reflected structured light pattern. The lateral spatialscales of this blurring depend on the length scales of absorption andscattering in the medium, which can be much larger than the spot sampledby a single-element detector at the single spatial location. In thisapproach, two or more structured light projections give multiple “views”of the complex wave, allowing the non-local behavior of the waves to bedetected by a single local measurement. Previously, this behavior wasmeasured using a 20 camera covering a wide field of view in order tocapture the spatially-dependent information in the x-y plane. As anexample of this detection phenomenon, consider detecting a remitted peakor valley due to a sinusoidally-illuminated turbid medium in the form1+cos(f/x). Due to the turbidity, the intensity measured at the specificpeak or valley is a cumulative result of the internal propertiesextending laterally beyond multiple spatial periods away from thedetection point. The “non-locality” of this sensing will depend on therelationship of the spatial period (1/fx) to the scales of lightinteraction within the medium (1/μa and 1/μs′). Put in another way, duethe turbidity, a localized change or perturbation in optical properties(such as an increased absorption due to a tumor or blood vessel) willcause the remitted structured light pattern to be modified non-locally.In the above sinusoidal example, multiple peaks and crests will bemodified as a result of a perturbation that is much smaller in extentthan the spatial period of the light.

Analysis and/or reconstruction of single-point or single spatiallocation data would include one or more of the following steps:

1) signal conditioning of the measured data, such as signal averaging,filtering, normalization or background subtraction, to reduce the impactof undesired artifacts, such as noise or background signals;

2) isolation of an amplitude or phase component of the spatially-varying(AC) signal, such as:

a) demodulating the measured structured light signal due to a singlespatial frequency of illumination to isolate the amplitude and/or phaseof the spatially varying component to the reflected or transmitted wave,or

b) performing the above where the spatially varying signal is insteadcomposed of multiple spatial frequencies (a superposition offrequencies). Typically, this demodulation is done by combining dataarising from multiple phase projections of the same structured lightwave. Simple approaches to calculating amplitude or phase of the waveare discussed in Cuccia, Quantitation and Mapping and Bassi et al.,Spatial shift of spatially modulated light projected on turbid media, J.Opt. Soc. Am. A. 25(11) 2833 (2008)(“Bassi, Spatial Shift”), which isincorporated by reference. One way is to combine the data to obtainamplitude data as follows:

AC amplitude=[v′(%)].vf([A-B] ² +[B-C] ² +[C-A] ²),

where A, B, and Care data points collected under illumination of aspatial sinusoid with a phase of 0, 120, and 240 degrees, respectively;

3) isolation of an amplitude component of the spatially-constant (DC)signal, such as a single measurement under constant (planar)illumination conditions or computing an average or mean of multiplephase projections. See, Bassi, Spatial Shift; Cuccia, Quantitation andMapping;

4) normalization or calibration of the AC or DC signals above withrespect to measurements on a sample with known optical properties (acalibration phantom);

5) determination of the optical properties (absorption, reducedscattering, anisotropy, fluorescence, etc) of the sample based on one ormore AC or DC signals, for example via model-based analysis (e.g.analytic, stochastic, or finite-element solvers), comparisons topreviously-acquired data (e.g. measurements of phantom samples of knownoptical properties), or other heuristic approaches;

6) the above calculation in 5) where the computation can be performedvia a look-up table of a-priori tabulated results;

7) determination of the depths of structures within the sample, forexample via ratios or differences of AC and/or DC signals, model-basedanalysis (e.g. multi-layer or inclusion-based solvers), or otherheuristic approaches;

8) combination of 5) or 6) with 7) to obtain sample depth and opticalproperty determination such that an optical property can be assigned toa specific region;

9) use of bulk or region-wise optical properties at one or morewavelengths to determine the concentration or cross-section, and/orlocation of a particular material, dye, chromophore, etc.;

10) combination of metrics in 9) to provide simple indices that informon the health, composition or other state of the sample;

11) comparison of a collection of data calculations in 1-10 obtained viavarious regions of the sample, multiple measurements of the same site,multiple wavelengths from the same site, multiple sites, multiplespecimens or people, and/or multiple times in order to assess samplevariation, compare one sample to a population, inform a therapeuticoutcome, perform a diagnostic analysis, etc.

By making structured light measurements with a single element sensor (orotherwise detecting light remitting or transmitting from a single pointor spatial location on the sample), the complexity of a 20 sensordetection is eliminated. This generally leads to three major practicaladvantages:

-   -   1. the core instrument can be potentially smaller, more        sensitive, lower-noise, better intensity resolution, less        expensive, and/or operate at lower power;    -   2. other measurement multiplexing approaches become more        feasible, such as spectral multiplexing (via a spectrometer or        detector array, for example), and polarization multiplexing; and    -   3. combination with other measurement approaches such as        time-based measurements, or time-domain and        time-frequency-domain photon migration techniques

Turning to FIG. 9, a schematic of an example of a structuredillumination system 200 with a single element detector is shown. Asdepicted, the system 200 includes a near infrared digital projector 210comprising a broadband projection illumination source 211. Light fromthe illumination source 211 is delivered to a digital micro-mirrordevice (DMD) 215 via an integrating rod-based “light engine” 212 such asthose provided in OLP projectors. The light from the DMD 215 is thenimaged on to the surface of the target medium T, resulting in aprojection field of view, e.g., a field of view of 50×68 mm. Collectionoptics (lens) 218 capture light remitted from a 2 mm diameter centersubsection of the illuminated region. As depicted, these optics 218couple light collected from this region to the distal tip of a 400micron detector fiber 222. The light remitted from the sample is thendelivered to a tunable spectrograph 224, tuned to a wavelength range andresolution, e.g., a wavelength range of 430-1050 nm, with a resolutionof −1 nm. A 16-bit CCD 226 acts as the detector. A crossed 2-inchdiameter wire-grid polarizing filters 214 can be used to reject specularreflection from the surface of the sample. The polarizer 214 is insertedbetween the DMD 215 and projection optics 216 and the analyzer 220 isplaced between the fiber 222 and collection optics 218.

As described below, the system 200 can be utilized in a non-contactmethod for the determination of quantitative optical properties ofturbid medium, which is referred to hereafter as spatially modulatedquantitative spectroscopy (SMoQS). Through measuring the broadbandreflectance from an unknown sample as a function of the spatialfrequency of the projected illumination patterns, the absoluteabsorption and reduced scattering coefficients can be calculated withouta priori assumptions of the chromophores present.

For all samples measured in a SMoQS investigation utilizing the system200, 15 illumination patterns based on two-dimensional sinusoids similarto that illustrated in FIG. 10( a) were used to characterize thesamples. The spatial frequency of patterns spanned from 0 to 0.2 mm-¹ insteps of 0.05 mm-¹. Using a modulation/demodulation scheme that has beendescribed by Cuccia, Quantitation and mapping each specific spatialfrequency was projected 3 times, each with a phase shift of 0, 120 and240 degrees. Data was acquired three times for each projected phase inorder to further reduce noise. The raw spectral data were stored foreach projection pattern and each phase. A reference calibrationmeasurement was acquired from a liquid reference sample having knownoptical properties. This step is used to characterize the inherent MTFof the instrument.

Instead of measuring sequences of reflectance from a single wavelengthacross multiple pixels, in the SMoQS method, the entire broadbandreflectance is measured for a single spatial location. This particularapproach allows for a far greater wavelength range to be measured,however it is at the expense of imaging capabilities. In this case afull broadband spectrum is collected for every spatial frequency andphase. The broadband reflectance is then demodulated to extract the ACcomponent of the detected light:

$\begin{matrix}{{M_{A\; C}\left( {\lambda,f_{x}} \right)} = {\frac{\sqrt{2}}{3}\left\{ {\left\lbrack {{I_{1}\left( {\lambda,f_{x}} \right)} - {I_{2}\left( {\lambda,f_{x}} \right)}} \right\rbrack^{2} + \left. \quad{\left\lbrack {{I_{2}\left( {\lambda,f_{x}} \right)} - {I_{3}\left( {\lambda,f_{x}} \right)}} \right\rbrack^{2} + \left\lbrack {{I_{3}\left( {\lambda,f_{x}} \right)} - {I_{1}\left( {\lambda,f_{x}} \right)}} \right\rbrack^{2}} \right\}^{1/2}} \right.}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

resulting in the broadband AC reflectance for a given sample as afunction of spatial frequency (FIG. 10( a)). Here, h(Jc Jx) denotes themeasured reflectance spectrum at the three projected phases, i=[1,2,3].Through the use of a reference phantom having known optical properties,the data can be calibrated and be given units of absolute reflectance(FIG. 10( b)). Here the highest trace corresponds to data acquired at aspatial frequency of O/mm (i.e. planar illumination) and the lowestcorresponds to data acquired at a spatial frequency of 0.2/mm. As thespatial frequency increases, the absorption band, which appears as a dipin the reflectance spectrum at 980 nm, becomes less apparent. This is inagreement with observations of decreasing absorption contrast withincreasing spatial frequency as reported by Cuccia, Quantitation andmapping. At each wavelength, the reduction in AC reflectance amplitudeas a function of spatial frequency (i.e. the effective MTF) can then bemodeled and analyzed via Monte Carlo-based simulations (FIG. 10( c)) viadiscrete Hankel transformation of point-source reflectance predictionsCuccia, Quantitation and mapping. From this model, the contributions ofabsorption and scattering can be identified at each wavelengthindependently, resulting in broadband spectra for absorption andscattering without the use of any spectral constraints or an assumedpower-law dependence for reduced scattering (FIG. 10 d). Unlikediffusion-based models, this approach is not limited by albedo orfrequency range. For modeling purposes, we assumed an anisotropy (g)value of 0.7 for the intralipid phantoms and 0.9 for skin. Todemonstrate SMoQS′ ability to accurately recover optical properties, aseries of homogeneous liquid phantoms was prepared. Since it has beenwell characterized in terms of optical properties, Intralipid® (20%,Fresenius Kabi) was used as the scattering agent within the phantom. (H.J van Staveren et. al, Light scattering in Intralipid—10% in thewavelength range of 400-1100 nm, Applied Optics 30(31),4507-4514(1991)(van Staveren)).

For these studies, multi-distance FDPM measurements (R. C. Haskell etal., Boundary Conditions for the Diffusion Equation in RadiativeTransfer, Journal of the Optical Society of America-A, 10, 1-15, (1994))were also performed to validate these values within 650-850 nm,independently confirming that the prepared phantoms match the expectedscattering values that were determined analytically using the methodproposed by van Staveren.

For simplicity and experimental control, a single dye was used as theprimary absorbing agent in the liquid phantom. In this initialinvestigation, water-soluble nigrosin (Sigma Aldrich) was chosen as theabsorber due to its broad spectral profile over the wavelength range ofinterest, allowing for a large dynamic range of absorption values to bemeasured in a single phantom. Moreover, the distributions of thesevalues grossly mimic distributions that might be encountered intissue—namely a broad absorption peak in the visible and low absorptionin the near infrared. The spectral line shape and quantitativeabsorption values of each nigrosin solution, was measured, in thespecific concentrations used in the liquid phantoms without anyscatterer present, and confirmed using a spectrophotometer (ShimadzuUV-3600) over the entire wavelength range of interest.

Three phantoms were made, each designed with unique sets of opticalproperties. Two of these were treated as investigational samples. Thefirst of these was a high albedo phantom, designed to have absorptionand reduced scattering values ranges of [0.01-0.1] and [1.0-2.0] mm⁻¹,respectively, whereas the second phantom had a low albedo withabsorption between [0.1-0.3] mm-¹ and reduced scattering in the range[0.5-1.2] mm-¹ These ranges extend well beyond expected values in theNIR, though remain conservative relative to values expected in thevisible regime. The optical properties of the third phantom were chosento fall between those of the two test phantoms, μa=[0.1-0.3] andμ₅′=[1.0-2.0]. This was used as a reference calibration to characterizethe system MTF and spectral throughput.

FIG. 11 shows the extracted optical properties for the two liquidphantoms. In FIG. 11( a), the recovered absorption spectra for the lowand high albedo phantoms are plotted along with the known concentrationsof nigrosin and water used in the preparation of the phantoms. Theseabsorption values were determined by the SMoQS method at each wavelengthindependently, yet faithfully produce the expected spectra, even inspectral regions where the source illumination and system throughputwere weak, (i.e. 430-500 nm and 1000-1050 nm). Similar results wereproduced for the quantitative determination of reduced scatteringcoefficient (FIG. 11( c)). The recovery of optical properties was alsosuccessful as a function of the magnitudes of the expected values (FIGS.11( b), 11(d)). This technique demonstrates a highly linear responseacross the range expected optical properties tested, resulting inR-Square values of 0.985 and 0.996 for absorption and scattering,respectively.

For demonstration of basic feasibility, a measurement on in-vivo humantissue was also collected. In this particular case, a subject's volarforearm was placed under the projection illumination and light wasspecifically collected from a region of tissue that contained a largevein (IRB study protocol #1996-200). Using the same reference phantomthat was employed in the liquid phantom experiment, absorption andreduced scattering spectra were extracted, shown in FIG. 12. Theabsorption spectrum was then fit in a linear least-squares sense to abasis set of spectra that included oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin, water andmelanin. Since the signal to noise of the system was particularly weak(<1) at the spectral limits of this measurement, this fit was onlyperformed over a range of 500-1000 nm. The measured spectrum of skin wasqualitatively well described by these physiologically relevantchromophores. The resulting quantitative contribution of each specificchromophore is in agreement with typical values for this type of tissue.These fits produced concentration values for oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobinof 22.4 and 28.4 μM, which are within ranges of values cited elsewherefor skin. (M. Kobayashi et al., Analysis of nonlinear relation for skinhemoglobin imaging, Optics Express 9(13) 802-812 (2001)). Additionally,it was determined that 70.2% of the volume probed comprised of water and0.51% was melanin. (I. Nishidate et al., Estimation of melanin andhemoglobin in skin tissue using multiple regression analysis aided byMonte Carlo simulation, Journal of Biomedical Optics 9(4) 700-710(2004)). Whereas is it acknowledged that skin is not a homogeneousmedium and that the distribution of chromophores are depth selective, tofirst approximation, these results remain encouraging and opportunitiesremain for further layer-based modeling of SMoQS. (J. R. Weber et al.,Non-contact imaging of absorption and scattering in layered tissue usingspatially-modulated structured light, Journal of Applied Physics, 105,102028 (2009)).

A new embodiment of spatial frequency domain (SFD) sampling in turbidmedia has been provided that is capable of characterizing opticalproperties over the range 430 to 1050 nm, with 1.5 nm resolution.Utilizing a SFD platform for quantitative spectroscopy is attractive notonly for its ability to characterize turbid media across a very broadrange of wavelengths, but the requisite instrumentation is relativelylow in cost, non-contact, and simple to implement. The inherentflexibility of this approach allows for the tuning of the system fortargeting specific wavelength regimes, permitting it to be used in awide range of initial investigations. With the addition of scanningoptics at the detection fiber, mapping of optical properties can beperformed over entire region of tissue illuminated by the projectedpatterns. Spectral preconditioning of the source illumination would alsohelp balance the dynamic range of detected, wavelength dependentreflectance, allowing for improved SNR in both spectral regions whereabsorption is characteristically strong as well as compensating forlimitations in the spectral dependence in the systemic instrumentfunction.

The in-vivo demonstration of the technique provides compelling evidencethat the extracted absorption spectrum is well described by typicalchromophores present in skin tissue. This analysis however was performedusing a model that assumes that chromophores are homogeneouslydistributed in tissue. In reality, skin is heterogeneous on the scale ofthe interrogation volume of the device used here. Tissue interrogationover broad wavelength range will provide depth-dependent contrast totissue chromophore species and structures, ranging from sub-millimeterprobing depths in the visible to depth-sensitivity of many millimetersin the near infrared. Further investigation and modeling of thisdifferential volume effect will be necessary prior to claims of robustquantitation of optical properties in layered media. (J.R. Weber).

The initial measurements described herein illustrate the basiccapabilities of SMoQS as technique for quantifying optical properties inboth visible and near infrared. It is able to characterize these opticalproperties without any a priori assumption and perform thesemeasurements in a non-contact paradigm conducive to in-vivocharacterization of tissue.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications, andalternative forms, specific examples thereof have been shown in thedrawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood,however, that the invention is not to be limited to the particular formsor methods disclosed, but to the contrary, the invention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

1. An apparatus for determining surface or sub-surface opticalproperties and/or structures of a sample of turbid media over an area ofthe sample comprising: a source to expose the area of the sample to onestructured illumination; one or more single element detectors configuredto receive optical signals from one or more spatial locations on thesurface of the sample; and a signal processor coupled to the one or moresingle element detectors and configured to reconstruct the optical datafrom one or more spatial locations.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 whereinthe signal processor is a computer.
 3. (canceled)
 4. (canceled) 5.(canceled)
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the source is configuredto generate one structured light condition.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6wherein the one or more single element detectors comprise two or morespatially diverse single element detectors configured to collectremitted light signals from two or more spatially diverse locations. 8.(canceled)
 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the single elementdetector is the entrance pupil for an optical relay device.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 9 wherein the optical relay device is an opticalfiber.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an individual one of the oneor more spatial locations comprises a region on the order of a featureof the one structured illumination.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1 whereinan individual one of the one or more spatial locations comprisingcomprises a region on the order of or smaller than a feature of the onestructured illumination.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein anindividual one of the one or more spatial locations comprising comprisesa region on the order of or larger than a feature of the one structuredillumination.
 14. A method of determining surface or subsurface opticalproperties and/or structures of a sample of turbid media over an area ofthe sample comprising: exposing the area of the sample to one structuredillumination; collecting optical signals from one or more spatiallocations on the surface of the sample with one or more single-elementdetectors; and reconstructing optical data from the one or more spatiallocations.
 15. (canceled)
 16. (canceled)
 17. (canceled)
 18. The methodof claim 14 wherein the step of exposing the area of the sample to onestructured illumination includes exposing the area of the sample to onestructured light condition.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein the stepof receiving optical signals from one or more spatial locations on thesurface of the sample includes receiving optical signals with two ormore spatially diverse single element detectors from two or morespatially diverse locations on the surface of the sample when the areaof the sample is exposed to one structured light condition. 20.(canceled)
 21. The method of claim 14 wherein the one structuredillumination is a spatially structured light wave extending over thesurface of the sample.
 22. The method of claim 14 wherein the step ofreconstructing includes reconstructing the information from the remittedstructured light wave extending over the surface of the area of thesample from the optical signals received with the one or moresingle-element detectors from the one or more spatial locations on thesurface of the sample.
 23. The method of claim 14 wherein the singleelement detector is the entrance pupil for an optical relay device. 24.The method of claim 23 wherein the optical relay device is an opticalfiber.
 25. The method of claim 14 wherein an individual one of the oneor more spatial locations comprises a region on the order of a featureof an individual the one structured illumination.
 26. The method ofclaim 14 wherein an individual one of the one or more spatial locationscomprises a region on the order of or smaller than a feature of anindividual the one structured illumination.
 27. The method of claim 14wherein an individual one of the one or more spatial locations comprisesa region on the order of or larger than a feature of an individual theone structured illumination.